Reclaimed Timber

Reclaimed wood is a processed wood prepared for a subsequent amount of use, and can be used over and over again depends on the condition of the wood. The part that has finished its life can be easily degraded.

The practice of using reclaimed wood as a building material started in the United States of America ages ago because it was strong, present in an abundant amount, and relatively inexpensive. Longleaf pine played a huge role during the period of the industrial revolution, many factories and warehouses were built using that wood.

Other earlier structures used redwood and chestnut blight, and even after dismantling of those structures in recent times, those reclaimed wood were welcomed for different uses.

Reclaimed wood possesses many properties some of which are,

·       Strength

·       Quality

·       Unique Appearance

·       Durability

Industry

The practice of reusing wood is quite old but the industries for reclaimed lumber gained the momentum in the 1980s mostly and since then it has been growing as environmental concerns play an important role in the modern world in the construction sector.

The world is slowly moving towards the green construction practices and wood especially plays an important role in that because of its durable qualities and abundancy in existence.

Reclaimed Wood Council, that is a trade association of reclaimed lumber was established in May 2003 but dissolved soon in early 2008 because of the lack of participation among the distributors.

Recently the certain industry was valued at USD 11.22 billion in 2017 in the global market and its ease of availability and properties just show the growth in the market in the future. The majority of the wood is regained from the old constructions and those contractors owe a huge part to the increasing demand for reclaimed wood.

The above bar chart justifies the statement of future growth of this industry plus it shows that where these lumbers are mostly used in construction, flooring, and furniture occupies the bigger parts in that.

The drastic increase in usage of the reclaimed timber is mostly due to reducing the carbon footprint of the toxic materials which are either very hard  to recycle or can’t be recycled at all, which ends up in the landfill and due to their no bio-degrading properties can be harmful for the environment.

But when it comes to timber the resources can be limited to some extent because the industry is highly dependent on the demolishing activities that are leading to higher uncertainty in the growth. The easier and simpler solution for this will be artificial forests to attain more wood in the future.

 In early 2017, the furniture industry emerged as the second-largest application segment. There was a high demand by the consumers especially for furniture including chairs, tables, and cabinets mostly.

Average graded lumber can be used for paneling mostly, although they further need treatments like weatherproofing etc. but can be very durable whereas, higher-grade lumber is mostly used for flooring and the best ones are used for furniture. The industry provides variety of options to the consumers in each department in terms of color, quality, application, and finish.

Nurse's Station

     Nurse’s station is the main hub of all activities in a hospital or nursing home. All the activities directly or indirectly intersects with the station.

     The station needs to be semi enclosed so there is a sense of privacy and work progresses in a neat and effective manner too. It should be considered a very important space in any care unit and should be considered part of patient care and a functional workspace too.

    It needs to centralized, so the best practice is to place a nurse’s station in the center of the space so it will be a part of flowing work at all time.

   Keeping it centralized have its pros and cons:

·       Pros:  As it being in the center of the space, it can be coinciding with different work routines and all the paper work can be neatly placed in it.

·       Cons: Due to its location it can be very noisy and can be annoying for the patients.

Belomont House (Condition Survey)

ROOMS

    

   Room placements in Georgian era was very proportional and symmetrical as trend of symmetry played a huge role in that period. That has been carried forward widely as this is highly appreciated by people of any age group. Belmont House have same features carried through the room as well and all the rooms are either square or rectangular in shape.

    Belmont House seems to be in a very good shape structurally, keeping its age in mind. It has aged fairly well and thanks to the building material that were being used during Georgian era.

     Even in modern age there is no proper replacement for stone or bricks when it comes to strength and these materials are still highly popular when it comes to the structure. The common finish used for the structure in Georgian era which was quite common in Victorian era as well was pebble dash and roughcast.

     Structure of the Belmont house is also finished in pebble dash which is quite rough and has very low impacts from the conditions that is the reason why, after decades the façade looks so clean and in good condition while the traces of age can be found by the woodwork present for example doors and windows.

                    

     The building inside has aged a lot and not in a shape at all wearing of all the woodwork is quite visible, but staircases seems to be in very good condition and most of them just need to be renovated and fixed.

                                 

    The main staircase shows the elaborative artwork of Georgian period and is still in great condition which need to be conserved and taken care of same is with handrails as well.

     The walls show a great amount of damages, the dampness and moulds a visible almost in most of the rooms. Over the ages, humidity, condensation has led to these conditions.

    

While renovating once the paint coat is scraped off the walls needs to fumingate thoroughly and disinfected as well, demoulder or bleach can be used to get rid of the mould permanently and finally a coat of paint over it.

    Moreover, due to the brickwork walls are quite porous which has led to the growth of different weeds in walls as well.

     This seems to be a one major task but luckily that’s the problem in only basement which can be taken care as whole building needs a renovation. The process is quite same as moulds but the use of different chemicals and herbicides is involved to get rid of them permanently.

     The floors and ceilings have deteriorated quite visibly over decades and need to be taken out throughout and installed in. It is some particular places which needs an attention whereas, rest can be renovated but needs to be taken out for the renovation purposes too and needs to be done plank by plank.

    The building materials that were used in the first place were high in quality based and so is the thing with wooden floor and ceiling as well. The wood is still standing strong after years and need to be re-installed and renovated which will be time consuming but less expensive then getting rid of entire thing.

     The door and windows which are in the building are not in a very shape the windows can be easily renovated but the outer door shows their ages due to weather effects but interior doors seems pretty fine and they can be easily renovated. Whereas most of the interior doors are missing but there are some present which help in replicating the same period design in the other doors.

                            

   The above images shows that door are in good condition and doesn’t need much attention and can be very helpful in replicating the missing ones in the building. As the other components and building itself the Georgian focuses on symmetry as well there can be an obvious pattern in the Georgian doors can be squares or rectangles.

    Some of the components in the house seems fairly newer than the other ones which means they have been replaced, renovated or altered during the period.

    The windows in the building seems pretty new considering that how old the building is and the metal frame seems to be in a pretty good shape.

Preserving Old Structure

MODERN AMENETIES

   

       Ensuring the building is able to support the modern repairs or modern features and it matches with the character of building otherwise it will just ruin the period structure. In this particular building the structure is standing strong, so only small amount of repairs are required from outside to the structure which should be matching period characteristics of the building.

       From inside the walls just need a simple plaster after the treatment and further on feature walls wallpapers should be installed from same period as we can still see the traces of them which can help a lot in replicating the same interior.

      Flooring needs to be removed and re fitted after restoring the same wood that will be the best in the Belmont house’s case as the flooring seems to be in good shape and mostly needs to be restored rather than changing entirely.                  

    Pictures above shows some good examples of addition of modern amenities in the old structure which doesn’t affect the character of the building and compliments its age as well.

CHARACTER OF BUILDING

   

    Retaining the character of the building is most important step as much inclusion of materials, things or elements can ruin that and destroy the look as well as character of the structure.

     Belmont House is period structure and will be renovated or restored in a nursing home building which can be bit tricky but easy as well, because the owners are looking to give elderly users a homely environment in a semi-private space. Thanks to the Georgian architecture there is enough space for every room and in my opinion nothing needs to be demolished or destroyed, after restoration the place can be made fit for the nursing home environment just by the help of interior designing it properly.

      All the rest amenities like laundry, sluice or medication storages should be moved in the basement and keep the character of the building alive by making it as homely as possible.

Treating Dampness

    Damp can be one of the major causes of deterioration of plaster or block masonry. It can badly hurt the physical appearance of the building as well. Due to dampness timber decay can occur as well, which is thoroughly used in the Belmont house structure. The decaying of timber can be visible most of the time but it needs to get rid of properly otherwise this can lead to unhealthy living environment for the occupants of the building.

    Electrical moisture meters are used to checked the dampness in any of the space which can then further be treated with the help of professionals.

     Old building must be allowed to breathe as most of them are made of solid stone walls or bricks without any usage of the damp proof course which helps in building up the dampness in walls, floor or ceilings.

     First step and the thing need to focus on most is allowing more ventilation to the building which will get rid of most of the dampness in the building further while renovation DCPs must be used throughout the structure for any further dampness in the building.

CONDENSATION

    

   Dampness may lead to condensation or mould if not taken care of in the first place which is the problem with Belmont house the two main reasons of the condensation are:

·       Surface Temperature

·       Increase in Moisture Level

    Getting rid of them permanently is what required and for that first step is damp proofing the structure further to prevent the structure from condensation and mould it need to have a cavity wall insulation, needs to be draught proofed and double glazing should be installed in the windows.

    The mould that is already present can be taken care of with disinfectants and demoulders to give the structure a nice and clean look.

     The easy way to prevent this in future are allowing to building to breathe and wall or installation of air vents can be very helpful for that as it is an old structure so it needs more of them. Extractor fans can be useful too in these conditions.

Chemical Room

    Chemical room in the nursing home is used to store all chemical equipment that is mostly used for sterilizing and cleaning of the place.

      Chemicals can be hazardous for the residents and visitors too, so it needs to be taken care of properly.

     Chemicals can enter the body and can cause serious damages, there are a number of ways which can make chemicals enter the body.

• inhalation: fumes might get in through breathing
• absorption: splash in the eye or through skin contact
• ingestion: can be contaminated food or hands
• inoculation: the use of needles when it penetrates the skin

  Chemical room need to be well built, insulated and far away from the activity region especially far away from the patients or the kitchen area.

Sustainable Materials

         Sustainability is a tendency of any element or material to exist constantly at a cost. The more sustainable the body will be, the more ability it will posses to survive. The sustainability of anything mostly revolves around three factors that are social, economic and environment. A sustainable material must fulfill all these factors.
         In a modern world we have numbers of artificial and natural materials present. But lately our modern industry is leaning towards sustainable materials and increasing the use of them in buildings, which is a good practice as some of the toxic artificial materials mainly plastic has been in practice for over a decade now. One cannot deny the wonders plastic can produce but on the other its non-degrading properties is harming our planet. That is one of the main reasons that industry is leaning towards natural sustainable materials.
         Sustainable materials are costly than the other cheap artificial materials, but their properties justify them in a longer run. Moreover, the finish, feel and texture are much better too which justifies its price.
         The most prominent features of sustainable materials are:

• Health
There is no doubt that all the sustainable materials are non-toxic and does not harm the people, there may be some exceptions such as allergies but in general they are barely harmful for the people.

• Environmental Impact
These materials have relatively low environmental impact compare to cheaper feasible alternatives. If been treated properly it can last decades.

• Economical
Sustainable materials are proven to be economical in a longer run because it needs low maintenance and are fairly durable than others.

• Efficient
If a sustainable material is well treated it can prove to be very efficient then as there will be no waste.

• Resilience
These materials are highly resilient to stresses.

• Renewable
Materials can be renewed quite easily  for example a wooden surface after a nice polish can be renewed .

• Reusable
The most distinctive and pleasing property of these materials are their reusability. In some cases like stones can be reused for million years in different forms and purposes.

• Bio-Degradable
Most ideal property of these materials are that they produce no waste which can’t be consumed and all these materials fully degradable.

There are number of sustainable materials, but keeping the efficiency and use in mind the most common ones are;

1. Cork                                 

2. Bamboo
                                 
3. Reclaimed Wood                       

4. Pre-Cast Concrete

                                 

Belmont House

FAÇADE      The Belmont house is a type of Georgian architecture with its most unique characteristic of having hipped roofs throughout the structure. Georgian era used to have a square symmetrical design which was carried forward from Classical era.

STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS

   

The Georgian architecture used to have two or three storeys in the structure and so does the Belmont house it has a basement, a ground floor and a first floor.

  Building was well built by bricks and the structure is quite strong even after several decades, that was the common practice in Georgian architecture, people started building big strong houses due to accumulation of wealth in the reign of King William.

 One of the most common and distinctive features of Georgian architecture was the main terraced door used to open on the road without being there any porch and same is the situation with the Belmont House as shown in the picture below.

  The common term and the feature used in that era was “dentil work” which is basically a hipped roof moving upward from every side of the building and finishing in a conical shape on the top with having embellished cornices.

WINDOWS

     Due to the reinforcement of the window tax during the Georgian period the designers were trying to reduce the number of windows in the structure, but Georgian buildings always tried to stand the point of accumulation of wealth. So, there were always hefty number of windows in any Georgian structure and so is the case with Belmont house.

    All the Georgian structures showcases a number of windows in the structure which are multi-paneled and allows significant sunlight to enter in the building plus create a nice living environment as well with different surrounding views.

    Similar to its structure the geometrical feature is carried towards the shape of windows as well. First floor windows are generally quite long and rectangular in shape and its gets shorter and squarer as it goes upward to higher levels.

                           

    Another most distinctive feature of Georgian architecture was fan light. A small window opening over the main door which allows the sunlight in the hallway. It was introduced in the late Georgian period and can be found in most of the buildings from

same era. They can be very elaborative or very simple and considered to be one of the status symbol as well. Belmont house have the same feature as well but less elaborative it is just a small rectangular paneled opening on the top of the main entrance.

Phases of Timber

Pre-Building Phase

Wood is mainly acquired from forests and is in raw form for example logs. The first and foremost step is grading and quality assurance. All the lumber is transported to the manufacturer for further processes.

Timber needs to go through certain certifications before it reaches the market the common ones FSC and PEFC (for Ireland).

PEFC was formed in 2008 for the control of deforestation and authority promotes sustainable forest management and the use of certified timber from the authorities.

Timber certification is basically a written statement that attests to the origin of wood, it may be used as validation for any type of claims and gives satisfaction to the consumer too. It covers from harvesting to the further related in which wood can be used for.

Certification can be useful for both consumers and manufacturers as it increases the worth of it and the customer gets a guarantee. Further, the wood is transported for testing and grading.

The grading of hardwood lumber is fairly complexed but general steps are:

·       Determining species.

·       Surface measurement for determining how many cuts can be carried out.

·       Determining poor face

·       Taking a piece of lumber for testing to make sure it meets the requirements.

·       Determining the surface area meets the grades.

·       Determining cutting yield

·       Checking the reverse side meets FAS (first and second) grade.

·       Checking the piece qualifies for other grades like the amount of wane, amount of pitch, etc.

The general grading categories of the hardwood lumber as follows:

There are in total of eight grades in the industry with FAS being the highest and No. 3A common being the lowest of them.

·       FAS

Shorthand for “First and Seconds”. FAS is the highest grade of hardwood lumber.

·       FAS 1-Face  

(abbreviation: F1F): A “Select” piece of lumber which is six inches and wider.

·       Select

A No. 1 Common piece of lumber (the poorer side of the wood piece is assigned as No. 1 Common grade) and the reverse side (the better side) grades FAS. The price of Selects and 1-Face is usually the same as FAS. Often, Select grade lumber is used in the Northern The U.S., while 1-Face is used in the South.

·       No.1 Common

is the standard furniture grade lumber and provides a good selection of long, medium and short cuttings at a reasonable price.

·       No. 2A Common

(also known as No. 2 Common) is the standard grade for cabinets, millwork, and other uses requiring medium to short cuttings.

·       No. 2B Common

is the same as No. 2A Common, except that stain and other sound defects, are admitted in the clear cuttings. It is an excellent grade for painting.

·       No. 3A Common

is often combined with No. 3B Common and the combination is sold as No. 3 Common, which is widely used for flooring and pallets.

Finally, the wood is processed through the moisture test and quality assurance of the hardwood lumber depends on it. Once the wood is passed through all these processes its good for its next phase.

Building Phase

During the building, the wood needs to go through multiple processes and the first one is its treatment. The wood needs to be properly treated according to the conditions it will be used in.

Most commonly in the UK and Ireland, the wood is used for flooring and partitions and both areas need to be moisture resistant, especially keeping in mind the weather here. Dampness and moisture can be very fatal for wood and for its prevention wood need to be treated.

Commonly there are two types of treated wood,

·       Preservative treated wood

·       Pressure preservative-treated wood

Wood treatment can delay the deterioration of wood for a longer period of time, it provides an invisible coating and makes the wood less appealing to the insects, which mainly with the common issues of dry and wet rotting of the wood.

The process of treating wood is rather thorough. Untreated wood is placed into treating cylinder and vacuum is applied which removes the air from wood cells and further the treatment chemicals are filled up in it.

The common practice is the coating of protective that is placed on the surface of the

Wood which keeps it protected but comparatively pressures treated woods are more

Long-lasting then preservative-treated wood.

Further during its building phase, the wood goes through another process of

Varnishing but it depends on the application if the wood will be used in someplace

not visible like partition walls then this process is not required but otherwise to bring

out its aesthetic appeal, the varnish is required.

The final stage is the packaging and for construction purposes making common

Building elements like window sills, door frames, stud partitions etc. Most of these

elements have general dimensions and are delivered pre-made from the companies

now, the same case is with the flooring, the floor planks are all treated and varnished for

the application.

Post Building Phase

Wood can last for ages if treated and used well and it can be easily recycled too. The recycling of wood is increasing and showing its drastic growth yearly as countries are worried about deforestation.

Recycled wood can have a number of uses the most generic ones are making paper and using it as a source of fuel.

In construction industry reclaimed or recycled wood is very useful as it can be reused as a building material.

The amount of wood that ends up in the landfill annually is 10 percent which is not much compared to concrete and steel which are 82 percent and 98 percent respectively.

According to a report published in the United Stated there was an alarming 70.6million of urban wood waste, which was most ever recorded and since then CMRA (Construction Materials Recycling Association) has taken strong measures in stopping the wastage of wood and recycling it.

The use of recycled wood is getting more common these days, as timber does not weather or age much so it's highly likely to be reused in the projects where aesthetics don’t play an important role.

In the final stage, wood can always be turned into wood chips and can be reused again the most important example is MDF (medium-density fiberboard) which is in great demand in modern construction. MDF is mainly made up of residuals of hardwood and softwood with combinations of resins and wax.

Another smart use of woodchips is building walkways, woodchips can be very helpful in evening out the ground and it suppresses the weed growth too. It can be laid out in places like a play area for the kid as it possesses non-slip properties and is comparatively cheaper than other options.

End of Life Room

  A room in the care facility for the occupants of the facility, who are dying or close to death. A need of this setup is increasing rapidly where the people suffering from severe condition or having there last days of life should be given special care.
  The term "end of life care" originated from North America. This is probably because end-of-life care is best described as a continuum, rather than a point in time. It includes range of different conditions such as heart disease, chronic conditions, strokes etc.
   For several years the term "end of life care" was not being used because it sounded harsh and was just called pallative care until there increase in demand in care facilities. The difference between pallative care and end of life care is getting less and less over the years, because in both settings patients requires extra care than ususal.
   The sign below is most commonly used in Ireland for the rooms like these,

   

   The survey shows that people are living longer in Ireland hence it increased the demand of care facilities and so the facilities like end of life care, 

    In recent years, national and international agencies have been showing a lot of concern and keen interest towards these settings and upgrades and amendments can be seen in every policy. This includes the quality of care of the dying person, but also, importantly, includes the way in which family and friends of the dying person are treated.

    The focus of these facilities are:

• Avoiding inadequate prolonging of death.
• Strengthening family relationships.  
• Achieving a sense of control
• Relieving burden

Sluice Room

  A Sluice Room is the room in the care facility which is used for sterilizing and disinfecting the instruments and cleaning of all the disposable items such as bedpans and pads etc.

  Sluice room is very essential in a setting like care facility or hospital and should be maintained properly and on continuous basis to avoid any kind of mishaps or injuries.
  Disinfectants should be used all the time before and after leaving the sluice room to avoid spreading any allergies or virus. Proper storage solution should be provided to avoid mixing of dirty and clean stuff.

  Proper wiring and electric solutions should be provided as the place will be dealing with water and lots of electrical equipment which may cause in overloading electric sockets which may lead to short circuiting or even fire.
  Staff operating in such particular setting should be professional otherwise they can be threat for others and even themselves. The room should be well insulated as it will be dealing with lots of machineries.

Commercial Kitchen

  According to Health and Safety Association, Ireland the commercial kitchen should consider the following things:

• Biological Agents

                The main issue can be spreading of infections and the causes behind it can be handling raw meat, exposures to contaminated water etc.

• Chemical Agents

                Chemical agents can be the cause of allergies, skin damage, burns, dermatitis, respiratory sensitisation.

• Electricity

                Electricity can be a major hazard in a setting like these, if not treated professionally, there is always a chance of electrocution or fire.

• Heat Stress

                A proper ventilation is necessary in the setup like this otherwise it can be very harmful for the people working in the area.

• Machines and Equipment

               Machinery should be handled professionally and regular maintenance is required to avoid any injuries and mechanical failures.

• Slips, Trips and Falls

               The working space should be kept clear and clean all the time to avoid and injuries or mishaps.

• Working at Height

               Keeping in mind the commercial use of the space there might be things in the setting which might need some effort to reach to, appropriate tools should be present for the ease of access. 

Heydar Aliyev Center

 

   Heydar Aliyev Center is conference hall in Baku, Azerbaijan designed by famous British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. The conference hall is named after the first secretary of Soviet Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, who served from 1969 to 1982 and became the president of Azerbaijan and served the nation from 1993-2003.

                                                    
  The building was built during the redevelopment phase of Azerbaijan and plays a pivotal role in that. In 2007 Zaha Hadid was appointed for the massive task after a competition. It is built near a city center and plays an huge part in bringing life to the city as it is a huge tourist attraction.
   It is the landmark of modern Baku and with its unique design it has been recognized as one of the best international architectural work. The building is used to host cultural events and besides that it helps in promoting culture, language and history of Azerbaijan.
   The building got a chance to host seeing-off Azerbaijan delegation for 2012 Summer Olympics. Besides that the building has featured  The episode called "Azerbaijan's Amazing Transformation" was aired on April 22, 2011 as part of Season 9. It also featured in Google Doodle in 2017. The Building was also featured on the "postcard" of Samra Rahimli for the postcard of Azerbaijan at the Eurovision Song 2016.